MEANING:noun: Confession to a priest. Also, penance and absolution that follow confession.

ETYMOLOGY:From Old English scrift (confession, penance), from scrifan (to shrive: to impose penance). Ultimately from the Indo-European root skribh- (to cut, separate, or sift) that has resulted in other terms, such as manuscript, scribe, subscribe, scripture, scribble, and describe. Earliest documented use: 897.

NOTES:The term nowadays is mostly seen in the form "to get short shrift" meaning to receive little consideration or a curt treatment. Originally, short shrift was what condemned criminals received: brief time granted to them for confession and absolution before execution.

Aha! Took a while to percolate to the surface. Did you know there is a benign skin lesion called "tinea versicolor" caused by the organism "Malassezia furfur"? Doesn't do much but make the skin give off little flakes. (Also absorbs ultraviolet light, so the affected part of the skin doesn't tan like the rest of it...)

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